Arts Council of Indianapolis to Present 21st Annual Art & Soul Celebration
Passionate. Creative. Soulful. The Asante Children’s Theatre and Art & Soul Program is celebrating the 21st anniversary of Art & Soul: A Celebration of African American Art and Artists in Indiana at the Indianapolis Artsgarden.
This year, the Arts Council of Indianapolis is partnering with Asante Children’s Theatre, Indy Jazz Fest, Kenyettá Dance Company, and Madame Walker Theatre Center to help program and promote Art & Soul. Since its inception in 1996 and through continued generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., Art & Soul has become a highly anticipated annual tradition celebrating Black History Month. This year’s theme is Lift Your Voice and celebrates empowerment through the arts.
Performances run through February 25. Every event is free and at 12:15 pm at the Indianapolis Artsgarden.Devon Ginn: Literary/Theatre (Featured Artist)
Friday, February 24 at 12:15 pm
An immersive, site-specific living art installation
This Indianapolis native began his work in the arts at a young age using the literary and performing arts as therapeutic channels to document his thoughts and embrace new perspectives. Ginn was trained in Stanislavski, Meisner, and Alexander techniques through local theater intensives, master classes, and private lessons with several mentors over the years. Deliberately collaborating with ground-breaking institutions and creatives on the forefront of change, his work as a visual artist, writer, and performance artist is a reflection of all his learned and unlearned experiences. As a teaching artist, Ginn travels state-to-state implementing his performance poetry and creative writing lesson plans for high school and college students. As a Featured Artist for Art & Soul 2017, Ginn will experiment with a new process for him and create immersive, site-specific theater by dramatizing his poetry and staging it at the Indianapolis Artsgarden with an ensemble cast. This performance will be multidisciplinary by combining dance, theatre, literary arts, and media with the use of photo and video through 3D projection mapping.
Art & Soul Events:
Wednesday, February 1
Featured Dance Artist Taylar Green
Modern dance
Thursday, February 2
Bashiri Asad
R&B, soul, and folk music
Friday, February 3
Native Sun
Fusion of hip-hop, soul, and rock
Saturday, February 4
Griot Drum Ensemble
High-energy, African drumming
Wednesday, February 8
Tasha Jones
Nina Simone poetry tribute
Thursday, February 9
Everett Greene
Legendary bass baritone sings jazz standards
Friday, February 10
Heritage Place Senior Community Center’s The Silver Foxes Still Rockin’ It Line Dancers
Senior line dancing
Saturday, February 11
Featured Music Artist Carrington Clinton
Clint Breeze and the Groove
Jazz and soul
Wednesday, February 15
Rob Dixon Trio
Jazz trio mixing elements of multiple genres
Thursday, February 16
Alaina Renae
Soul and R&B vocals
Friday, February 17
Krash Krew Dance
Gospel and hip-hop dance
Saturday, February 18
Kenyettá Dance Company
Contemporary modern dance continuing the Black Dance Matters movement
Wednesday, February 22
Brenda Williams featuring Lamar Campbell
A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson
Thursday, February 23
Bryan Thompson
Saxophone and smooth jazz
Friday, February 24
Featured Literary/Theatre Artist Devon Ginn
An immersive, site-specific living art installation
Saturday, February 25
Asante Children’s Theatre
Excerpts from BLACK by Popular Demand – A Celebration of StoriesAbout the Arts Council of Indianapolis
The Arts Council of Indianapolis fosters meaningful engagement in the arts by nurturing a culture where artists and arts organizations thrive. The Arts Council is an organization that advocates for the need and importance of broad community funding and support for a thriving arts scene; innovates by constantly pursuing and promoting innovative ideas and programs that better serve the area, its artists, and arts organizations; and connects artists, audiences, businesses, foundations, and arts and cultural organizations with opportunities to explore and expand central Indiana’s creative vitality.
The Arts Council owns and operates two performance and exhibition spaces, the Indianapolis Artsgarden (attached to Circle Centre Mall) and Gallery 924 (at 924 N. Pennsylvania Street). The Arts Council allocates public funding to arts and cultural organizations through a competitive grant program; offers fellowship opportunities including the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship, the Transformational Impact Fellowship, and the Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship; provides programs, services, and technical assistance for artists and arts organizations; and manages the city’s public art program. The Indy Arts Guide provides a comprehensive arts calendar featuring thousands of events, performances, and exhibitions throughout central Indiana. For more information on the Arts Council, call (317) 631-3301 or visit online at www.indyarts.org.
Find out more about Devon Ginn:
Facebook: Devon Ginn
Twitter: @yoDevG
Instagram: @yodevg